I know what you’re thinking. Matt what does Mtn Dew have to do with Computer Repair? EVERYTHING!!! Mtn Dew is the lifeblood that drives us computer geeks. Like water for a plant, Mtn Dew enables us the sugar rush we need to keep going. Whether it is a 24 hour gaming session with our clan mates, or an 8 hour server installation at your Law Office. After it’s discontinuation here in Boston, in 2011, Livewire Mtn Dew (orange flavored dew) Was near unfindable. It left me with a hole in my heart that could not be filled by anything else. Oh, sure, I tried Voltage, Typhoon, White Out and even Revolution, but it wasn’t the same. Some people switched to Orange Crush, or Fanta, but I am sorry but those are gross. I want my Orange Mtn Dew, I want my Livewire. Then in the middle of the work day, today just mere moments ago, my coworker Joe walked through the door and triumphantly proclaimed, while hoisting this bottle of orange gold high in the air “IT IS BACK!!” A tear came to my eye and I almost couldn’t even bring myself to open the bottle, even as Joe had almost finished his. I did open and indulge, and it is every bit as awesome as it was 3 years ago. So now you know, contact your local convenience store tell them to stock ?it! Enjoy this treat, who knows when it shall be gone. Also, now that your local Computer Geeks techs are properly fueled, feel free to give us a call if you have any issues with your computer here in Boston, or anywhere else since we do service everywhere in the US! 800-433-5435
How many apps do you have on your smartphone device? What are the chances that everyone else has them? A website called comScore tallied the top 25 most downloaded apps. Some of what made the list, and what didn’t, may surprise you.
These numbers are based on how many adults 18+ have these apps and how frequently they’re used. Facebook by far takes the #1 spot with a whopping 115.4 million unique visitors. You Tube placed a distant second: 83.4 visitors. That’s not to say Google is slacking in the app race. They’re not. You Tube, Google Play, Google Search, Google Maps, and Gmail all made the top ten. Maps in general seem to be popular, as believe it or not, Apple Maps made the top 10. You like to download music? So do a lot of people. Apple’s iTunes radio is listened to by 40 million people as an app.
To me, it’s hard to believe Facebook Messenger made the top 25 list, at 39.2 million views. Twitter followed them. Netflix and it’s popular shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black made the list with 27.6 million unique visitors. Rounding out the top 25 are eBay, Skype, Shazam, Yahoo Mail and Kik Messenger.
There are a few more surprises. No games made the top 25, not even Angry Birds, Air Assault or Crazy Birds. The most popular downloaded games only have 10 million visitors, while Kik Messenger, last on the list, had over 17 million. Google had six companies represented, while Microsoft only had Skype represented. Between you and me, I’m surprised Skype only made 22. That’s on it’s way to being the most popular app around. Mark my word. I hope Facebook really listens to people’s complaints about Messenger and takes heed, or their listings will probably decline. How does this list surprise you? What’s to make of the most popular apps?
I say that because the job search website Glassdoor has evaluated the top 25 best corporations to work for based on work culture. Work culture includes friendly co-workers, good pay, opportunities for advancement, comrade-re between co-workers, non-oppressive work hours, among other aspects. Of the top 25 companies with the best work culture, 11 of them are technology or Internet based. Twitter ranked number one. Google and Facebook made the top five. Apple staggers in at number 15, and Adobe at number 20. Why do so many tech companies have such great work culture? At many of these workplaces, even interns make more monthly than the average American. They have lots of perks and benefits. In fact, Google ranks number one in this category. Twitter employees praise the intelligence and friendliness of their co-workers. They even have team meetings on the roof. Why would anyone want to call in sick when your next meeting is on a roof overlooking a fabulous skyline?
There’s a lesson to be learned here. Not only do these companies have great work cultures, they are very successful to say the least! So employers, it does pay to treat your employees like decent human beings instead of property. And it doesn’t hurt to spoil them rotten once in a while. And you have to love what you do. When you’re working for a purpose, and not just a paycheck, of course people are going to have a positive attitude and the office culture will be pleasant. Which companies do you think have the worst work culture?
The greater San Francisco/Oakland area is known as Silicon Valley because of the many technological and computer headquarters there, from Apple to Facebook. Could that be changing?
The Bay Area has some of the highest cost of living expenses in the US. The real estate crunch isn’t helping matters much either. Competition for the top jobs is fierce. That’s why some smaller computer tech companies are abandoning the Silicon Valley dream and taking their talents elsewhere.? Hubert Thieblot, CEO of Curse, moved his company to Huntsville, Alabama, a major NASA hub. It was a controversial, but very profitable move for them. Daily Booth co-founder Jon Wheatley moved to St. Louis. In an article, he complained about San Francisco’s overwhelming rent cost.
This is by no means any disrespect or insult to Silicon Valley or that area. We all owe greater San Francisco a huge debt for housing some of the greatest companies and technological minds of all-time. That being said, they’re not the only candy store in town. There are many areas in our nation, and world in that matter, that are just ripe for technology success. Huntsville has more doctorate degree holders per square mile than any US city. Raleigh-Durham, NC is a huge hotbed for science and technology. So is Boston-Cambridge, MA. And you don’t have to pay $2,800 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. What technological gems are in a neighborhood near you?
In March 2014, Chinese hackers infiltrated computer networks run by a US government agency called Office of Personal Management. It’s who was targeted is what makes this concerning.
The Office of Personal Management holds info on federal employees. These hackers targeted applicants for top-secret security clearances and their foreign contracts list, previous jobs and other aspects of personal information. The Dept. of Homeland Security confirmed the hacking. Officials traced the attacks to China, but it’s unclear whether the hackers were civilians or within the Chinese government. What’s crazier is to learn that hackers try to break into agencies almost daily, but rarely succeed. This time, apparently they did.
And this isn’t the first time. Last month, a Chinese group called People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398 were charged with corporate theft (of secrets and information). This group, and some others, have been accused of past infiltrations. The issue of hacking has been a hot button issue between the US and China. But what concerns me is the frequency of these attempts. One in a while is one thing, but every day is scary. We should be very grateful that these attacks are rarely successful. I’d like to see that turned into not successful at all. Keep in mind how fast China is advancing technologically. Is this what’s behind the attacks? Or is something way darker going on?
Today, yet another chapter in communication technology begins. After many months and unimaginable dollar amounts, Microsoft is purchasing all, and I mean all, of Nokia’s devices and services.
By the time Microsoft pays for Nokia’s hardware and licensing, they will spend $7.2 billion in this acquisition. Now, Microsoft controls most of Nokia’s Lumia brand, the Asha brand, and Nokia X handsets and other feature phones. Microsoft will now be responsible for 200 million handsets and 25,000 jobs. And that’s just handsets. There isn’t yet a full plan on how to totally integrate the two. Nokia CEO Steven Elop will host a press conference Monday April 28 to address the matter.
Of course, both Microsoft and Nokia are excited about this merger. For many years, Microsoft has been the software king. Now, they can be the hardware king. If I were a Microsoft high ranking official, I’d be excited about that too. But what about people like you and me? Some people can take the optimistic road and say this will drive prices down while improving quality. I like to think that will happen. But can the opposite happen? I’ve read of mergers making things far worse. They’re closer to a monopoly. And if you have a monopoly, you can charge and do whatever you want and there’s nothing that can be done. That’s why I’m concerned about mergers like this. What’s your take on the Microsoft/Nokia merger?
